Cannondale launch limited edition SuperSix with Shimano Di2

Cannondale look to have won the race to become the first manufacturer to offer a bike sporting Shimano's new Di2 electronic groupset.

The Limited Edition SuperSix Di2 will be available from March in the UK at an eye-watering £7499 so all you early adopters out there had better start saving now.

As well as full Dura Ace Di2 drivetrain (53-39 chainset pushing a 12-27 cassette) and brakes, spec highlights include Zipp 404 Clincher wheels on Zipp hubs, oh, and a high modulus carbon SuperSix frame. Finishing kit is FSA K-Force Carbon 'bars, Fi'zi:k Antares saddle on top of an FSA K-Force carbon seat post. Only available in white – which seems to be the colour of the moment. Sizes available: 48,50,52,54,56,58,60,63

Shimano's Di2 certainly caused a big stir when launched last summer, and it was fun to play with at Eurobike, however it is safe to say that not everyone is convinced by the need for an electronic system when Dura Ace 7900 is lighter, and while Di2 still uses wires…

According to Shimano the main for not making Di2 a wireless system was down to the battery. A wired system can run on a single lightweight yet powerful battery. The power needed for a wireless system is much higher. They’d have needed separate, much larger individual batteries for both the front and rear derailleur shifting duties for a wireless system – resulting in a much, much heavier system. Hence the decision for wired.

Plus anyone with experience of wireless internet access might quick like the dependable reassurance a good old cable, electronic or otherwise and those critics probably said the same about STI shifters.

Here's the full Di2 blurb…

Shimano’s revolutionary new electronic shifting on the Cannondale SuperSix Di2 is truly remarkable. It provides perfect, silent, silky-smooth shifts every time, in any weather, under any load. Hit the button on the ergonomic shifters and the computer does the rest -- timing the shift to perfectly coincide with the shift ramps and pins, and then automatically adjusting the trim. No chatter, no grinding, no hesitation, no thrown chains or missed shifts. Ever. There are no cables to stretch or get gritty. The derailleur adjustment is incredibly easy and can be done while riding.

The battery will last approximately 2000km of riding and will fully recharge in 1 1/2 hours. It is about 68 grams heavier than the standard 7900 (which shares the crank, chain, cassette, BB, and brakes) but it seems a small price to pay -- a few minutes of riding Di2 will make every other shifting system on the planet feel clunky and obsolete.

Plucked from the obscurity of his London commute back in the mid-Nineties to live in Bath and edit bike mags our man made the jump to the interweb back in 2006 as launch editor of a large cycling website somewhat confusingly named after a piece of navigational equipment. He came up with the idea for road.cc mainly to avoid being told what to do… Oh dear, issues there then. Tony tries to ride his bike every day and if he doesn't he gets grumpy, he likes carbon, but owns steel, and wants titanium. When not on his bike or eating cake Tony spends his time looking for new ways to annoy the road.cc team. He's remarkably good at it.